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Being Wiccan

Understanding the Craft of Wicca

Wicca is
commonly referred to witchcraft or also the
craft, it is mainly a neopagan religion and a
modern form of witchcraft. People indulging in
this form of witchcraft are known as Wiccans,
Crafters or Witches.

Wiccan
History

Wicca first took off in
England during the early 20th century; it was
later popularized in the early fifties and
sixties by Gerald Gardner a well known Wiccan
High Priest. Gardner used to call Wicca the
“witch cult” but it was after the 1960s that the
name normalized to what we know today as
“Wicca.”
There are also those that believe that Wicca is
nothing but something that grew out of the
latest New Age movement. This is a claim that
many Wiccans deny and historians such as Ronald
Hutton back by remarking that Wicca easily
predates any type of New Age movement and also
differs in philosophy.
The version of Wiccan history as told by Gerald
Gardner is based on his belief that it’s a
survival of the witch cult of Europe which was
ruthlessly persecuted during the famous witch
trials. However modern investigations by
scholars into the history of Wicca show that
there were fewer trials than Gardner claims and
very few were carried out by religious
authorities. This is why theories of large witch
trials and an organized pan-European hunt for
witches has been discredited. But Wiccans still
feel solidarity with victims of witch trials
carried out hundreds of years ago.

Fundamentals
of the Wicca religion

The Wicca religion is based
on the worship of a god and a goddess. They are
both traditionally referred to as the Horned God
and Triple Goddess they are viewed as facets of
pantheistic godhead and they can manifest
themselves in a number of polytheistic deities.
However there are also other theologies existing
within the craft of Wicca which range from
atheism to monotheism.
Gerald Gardner believed that the Goddess is one
of the most important deities along with the
Horned God. Early Wiccan publications describe
the goddess as a tribal goddess of witchcraft,
she is neither universal nor omnipotent. He
(Gardner) also recognized that a much bigger
“prime mover” existed but it was something that
witches didn’t concern themselves with.

Ritual Magic

One of the most publicized
aspects of Wicca is its ritualistic magic which
is influenced by ceremonial magic dating back
hundreds of years with the Wiccan Rede a libel
code of morality. But it is interesting to note
that all witches do not subscribe to this.
Another aspect of this craft is the celebration
of seasonal festivals which in Wicca tradition
are known as Sabbats. There are usually eight
Sabbats each year.

Wiccan
Traditions

Now
there are quite a few different denominations
within what is classified as witchcraft often
called traditions. These include Alexandrian
Wicca and Gardnerian Wicca which follow Gardner,
this is why they are often collectively referred
to as British Traditional Wicca, while many
other witches consider the term Wicca to just
apply to a few traditions. Other traditions like
Feri, Dianic tradition, and Cochrane’s Craft are
influenced by many other figures and may not
follow any particular lineage. Many of these
traditions may also not subscribe to the term
‘Wicca’ and may instead call themselves
practitioners of ‘Witchcraft’ while some
practitioners may believe that all witchcraft is
Wiccan.